Lonely Waltz
by Mia M. Turner
Summary: Sharpay's solo practice is interrupted and she soon finds herself and Ryan talking about the future and frustrations that come with being a senior. Troypay, brother and sister fluff, HSM 3 spoilers.


**A/N**: So once again, I felt that Sharpay _way_ got the shorter end of the stick in this movie. I don't think she really did anything "evil" or "villainous" in this movie, so I find it very unfair that she once again drew the short straw. So I really wanted to write this to once more show a more sensitive side to Sharpay because, gosh darndit, the girl has feelings too. This fiction takes place after Gabriella tells Troy she won't come back, and before Troy goes after her. Minor Troypay and **spoilers**; you have been warned!

**Dislciamer**: I don't own High School Musical.

Sharpay Evans was quite a sight to see, waltzing by herself in the spacious studio.

She took another step and stopped abruptly, perhaps contemplating how silly she must have looked, holding her arms up as though she were holding hands with an invisible partner.

She sighed and looked up at the mirror to the right of her. She stared at her reflection and then glanced down at her shoes. Perhaps she simply didn't feel the part? After all, she wouldn't be going to prom in a pink Wildcats hoodie.

Much like she had to really feel the part to get a role down perfectly, she considered prom no different. She had a role to play, and she wanted to play it well.

Why she was going to so much trouble, she wasn't sure. Similar or not, this was still only prom. She was already guaranteed to out-dance everyone there, so why did she find it necessary to continue practicing now that it was nearly midnight on a chilly Saturday evening?

Sharpay shook her head and regained her composure. She stood up straight and tall and held her arms up once more. She hesitated before moving...

She closed her eyes and imagined someone, an _actual_ someone, in her arms. Tall, handsome, stunning blue eyes. A faint smile crossed her lips.

Troy.

Her smile grew as she pictured him gently holding her outstretched hand, his other hand lovingly stroking her blond curls. She sighed contently and began to waltz around the room, keeping her eyes closed. She started softly humming the tune to the song that had been stuck in her head for days now, before quietly whispering the lyrics to herself.

"All I wanna do... Is be with you... No matter where life takes us..."

Sharpay snapped out of her daydream at the sound of the door opening. She gasped, losing her footing, and fell flat on her back to the hardwood floor.

Her twin brother Ryan sprinted across the floor and kneeled down next to her.

"Geez Shar, are you okay?"

Sharpay scoffed and sat up.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"I think I should be asking you that question, seeing as you were just waltzing by yourself in here."

Sharpay scowled.

"Get _out!_" she screeched, trying to hide the fact her cheeks were turning red in embarrassment. Ryan only 'shushed' her.

"Mom and Dad are asleep, knock that off. You should be, too."

It was Sharpay's turn to raise an eyebrow. "In that case, what are _you_ doing up?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Just came down for a glass of water and noticed the studio light was on."

A slight pause followed.

"You've been doing this an awful lot lately, Shar..."

Sharpay cringed slightly and looked down, refusing to look into his eyes or answer.

Another pause...

"...Sis?"

She couldn't hold it in another second. Sharpay turned to her brother, grabbed his shirt, and began crying into his chest. Ryan looked stunned for a moment, but quickly, and partly out of instinct, wrapped his arms tightly around her. He decided now wasn't the time to prod. He simply rocked back and forth faintly humming until she calmed down.

Sharpay finally pulled away and wiped her eyes on her bright pink sleeve. Ryan moved a few bangs out of the way of her eyes.

"What's going on, Shar?"

Sharpay sighed. "It's all very... dramatic." Another deep breath. "I guess... I'm getting frustrated. We're halfway through our senior year and nothing seems to be going right so far. Troy still isn't interested in me. I've been coming down here every night, staying up late to practice, only to fall asleep in Trig class the next day." She began fiddling with her fingers. "I think I'm just trying to impress Troy... On top of that, you and I may have to go to separate schools, and as much as I hate to admit it, the show's starting to fall apart without Gabriella." She shook her head. "Another mess I've managed to tangle myself in..."

An awkward pause followed. The subject of Gabriella and Troy was a touchy one with the twins. As such, it was difficult for Ryan to gather a response that wouldn't make his little sister feel worse.

Sharpay's eyes watered again as she finally lifted her head to look her brother in the eyes. "Ryan..." she said softly. "...Now that Gabriella's in California, do you think Troy would... well, w-would he--"

"Ask you to the prom?" Ryan made a face but quickly replaced it with a nervous smile. No way could he tell her the truth... He'd much rather Troy break her heart and get him back for it later than to have to break her heart himself. "I don't know, Shar... Maybe. He knows how much you love him. Maybe if you showed it more often, he'd consider it." Sharpay sniffed and let out a quick chuckle. Ryan frowned. He hated seeing her like this. He needed a way to cheer her up...

Ryan quickly sprung to his feet and reached his hands down to help Sharpay up. She looked up at him for a second before taking his hands and pulling herself up.

"What are you doing?"

Ryan smiled and placed a hand on her hip. "For both our sake's, I can't let you go on dancing with yourself tonight." Sharpay gave her brother a light whack on the arm, but followed up with a laugh. The first real, genuine laugh he'd heard her make since Summer. With a sincere, content smile, Sharpay placed her hand on his arm and laced her other hand with his.

Ryan began leading Sharpay around the room, picking up where she'd left off with Kelsi's song.

"Nothing can break us apart..."

Sharpay felt her eyelids drooping as she glided across the floor. There was something astonishingly soothing about Ryan's singing voice, and after a long day of non-stop practicing, it was putting her to sleep. As Ryan sang out the last few notes of the song, the two slowed to a stop. Sharpay yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Without a word, Ryan led her out of the studio and up the stairs to her room. The moment her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes and relaxed for first time in weeks. Ryan smiled a bit. Admittedly his sister had been having a much rougher year than him and their classmates.

Ryan leaned over and gave Sharpay a quick peck on the forehead. "It's gonna be okay, Sis." he said quietly. "Sometimes it's just nice to be reminded of that..."

With that, he closed her door and walked back to his room. He sat on his bed and continued scribbling more ideas for the Spring show. It was hard to keep one thought from looping in his head, though:

"If Troy makes her feel any worse, he's gonna _wish_ he were going to school on the other side of the country."


End file.
